Ketchup with Parsnip Fries, Please
Sun 25 Mar 2012 How could it possibly be nearing the end of the first quarter already?! I really am quite disciplined, but it’s not proving to be the case with this blog. One day’s “I’ll do it tomorrow” gets pushed back to another day, and another, and another. I sound like a broken record, even to myself.
Truth is, blogging has fallen to the bottom of the list. It’s not a surprise, as it often does after returning from our trips. I went through a slight bout of post-holiday blues which quickly turned around with the arrival of glorious Spring weather.
This post should have been written in January when I first tried these recipes, when I took these photos. At last, it’s here.
Let me take you back to 1989 for a moment. I had just turned 15, just completed my 3rd year of Quebec High School and couldn’t be any happier as I was offered my first job. I was going to join my friends … at McDonald’s! Three 3-hour shifts per week, of which one day was sometimes after school, earned me my movie tickets, some clothes, magazines and food from the the malls’ food courts. My couple of years of employment at the golden arches began at the cash register. It was an important role, one that required the skill of multi-tasking under pressure especially during rush hours: taking orders; handling cash; placing burger, nuggets and apple pie orders with the kitchen; whilst keeping everything cleaned and stocked behind the counter; then balancing my cash till at the end of my shift. Sometimes I was $0.01 under or over. That irked me.
I remember the french fry station. Bags of frozen perfectly shaped white matchstick fries were opened into stainless steel rectangular baskets, which were then dropped into a vat of boiling oil. A timer button (or two or three or four, depending on the number of baskets dropped) was pressed which would beep after a few minutes. The basket would be lifted out of the oil, shaken, then dumped under the warming hood and sprinkled with salt. During extremely busy periods, an employee was assigned to only this station to scoop the fries into three different-sized cartons and keep up with the rush. It was quite a production.
I assure you, these fries, these baked parsnip fries are nothing like McDonald’s oil- and salt-drenched fries that I, once upon a time, consumed. All you need are:
Parsnips;
A drizzle of Hemp oil, Coconut Oil, Avocado Oil or Olive Oil;
A sprinkling of Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt;
A sprinkling of Ground Black Pepper.
A Peeler, a Knife and an Oven.
They won’t turn out as crispy as the deathly deep-fried version, but it has just enough crunch with the subtle sweet earthy taste of parsnips. They’re loved around our home!
(Please go to My New Roots for the original detailed recipe.)
And what are fries without ketchup? Homemade tastes nothing, nothing like the stuff off the shelves. If tomatoes are in season where you are, grab a basket from your farmers market or your home garden. The remaining ingredients may very well be already in your cupboard:
Onion and Garlic;
Star Anise, Bay Leaves, Ground Coriander and Chili Flakes;
Balsamic Vinegar and Apple Cider;
Sea Salt (or Himalayan Salt) and Ground Black Pepper.
(Please go to My New Roots for the original detailed recipe.)
I may have considered a six-pack of nuggets with french fries at the golden arches a treat when I was young and uneducated about food and the consequences of my food choices. Today, a real treat for me is a sandwich of grilled vegetables with parsnip fries and homemade ketchup. It’s not fast-food; it’s simply wholesome goodness.
